Matt Henriksen, creative writing director for On The Row and Kathy McGregor, project director, volunteered this past July at the Dick Johnston Children’s Camp at Camp Mitchell, a beautiful camp and retreat center atop Petit Jean Mountain in central Arkansas.
The majority of kids who attend this week of camp would be considered “at risk”. The children are between 8 and 12 years old, yet have already experienced significant trauma and loss. Each child has had at least one parent in prison and lives with either the other parent, grandparents, other family members, or a foster family.
Children from all over Arkansas are invited to participate in the week long camp for free, and many of the children would not otherwise have a summer camp experience. If you’d like more information on the camp, or would like to financially contribute to help send a child to camp, please shoot us an email.
Matt led the kids in writing prompts and creative writing exploration. Kathy then helped the kids fashion a song out of their writing. Here’s a sample of their writing:
When I See You
When I see you I feel loved.
When I see you, you are a friend.
Your presence is calming like ocean waves
hitting the beach.
When I hear your voice I hear the soft
rolling thunder of a far away storm.
When I see you I see my grandma
standing near me.
When I see you I see sadness.
When I see you I see darkness.
I see the night sky.
When I see you I hear thunder.
When I see you time stops and my heart
overflows.
When I see you I see love.
When I see you time stands still.
When I see you I see leaves falling im my
hands.
Silent.
When I see you my world feels whole again.
If you’d like to listen to the song they wrote collectively, visit the Songs section and check it out.